Skate



(No Model.)

G. W. PROUTY.

SKATE.

No. 593,494. Patented Nov.'9, 1897.

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UNITED STATES PATENT v OFFICE.

IEORGE W. PROUTY, OF MEDFORD, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE- HALF TORICHARD O. HARDING, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

SKATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 593,494, dated November9, 1897.

Application filed January 25, 1897. Serial No. 620,527. (No model.) I

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, GEORGE W. PROUTY, of Medford, in the county ofMiddlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new anduseful Improvements in Skates, of which the following, taken inconnection with the accompanying drawings, is a specification. v

My invention relates to skates of that class which are secured to thefoot of the wearer by means of clamps which engage the edges of the heeland sole of the boot, and has for its object a construction andoperation of the clamps that engage the fore-part sole edges, wherebythe skate may be readily adjusted to the desired position beneath thewearers foot whatever may be the shape of the bootsole; and it consistsin certain novel features of construction, arrangement, and combinationof parts, which will be readily understood by reference to thedescription of the accompanying drawings and to the claims heretoappended and in which my invention is clearly pointed out.

Figure l is a plan of a skate embodying my invention. Fig. 2 is a sideelevation of the same. Fig. 3 is an inverted sectional plan, the cuttingplane being on line a: so on Fig. 2; and Fig. 4 is a section on line y 3on Fig. 1.

In the drawings, A is the skate-runner; B, the heel-plate, provided withthe upwardlyprojecting ear B to engage the breast of the heel; and O isthe fore-part foot-plate, said plates being firmly secured to the runnerin a well-known manner.

D is the heel-clamping plate, provided with the ears D to engage therear of the heel edge and with thelongitndinal slots a aand Z9, by meansof which and the studs 0 c, firmly set in the plate B, saidclamping-plate D is so mounted as to be movable longitudinally of theskate-runner to clamp the boot-heel between the ears B and D in awell-known manner.

The front end of the plate D has pivoted thereto at cl theoperating-lever E, in which is set, so as to be movable about its axistherein, the stud F, in a threaded transverse hole in'which is fittedthe rear end of the right and left threaded rod G, which is providedwith the milled collar G, by which said rod may be revolved to adjustthe clamps.

The forward end of the rod G is fitted to'a threaded transverse holethrough the stud H, to which the rear ends of the fore-part-clampingjaw-levers I and I are pivoted in a wellknown manner.

The skates now most generally in use that are secured to the foot bymeans of clamps that engage the edges of the wearers bootsole have apair of laterally and longitudinally movable clamping-levers pivotedtogether at their rear ends and provided with curved slots near theirfront ends and loosely connected to the fore-part foot-plate by means ofheaded studs passing through said slots and set in fixed positions insaid plate at equal distances from the skate-runner, said jaw-leversbeing so constructed and arranged that their clamping-ears are at equaldistances from the skate-runner and move equal distances toward and fromsaid runner, the result of which is that when the skate is secured tothe foot the center longitudinal line of the skate -runner will becentral between the bearing-points of said clamping-levers whatever maybe. the shape of the boot-sole to,

which it is applied. This is found to be very objectionable when theskates are worn upon right and left boots, and particularly when appliedto the very crooked and pointed boots now in very general use, becauseit 10- cates the skate-runner at its forward end too far toward thelittle toe of the wearers foot, instead of under the great toe orbetween it and the second toe, which is a more desirable position. Then,again, whether a straight or crooked boot is worn, it is often desirableto locate the forward end of the skate-runner nearer the inside edge ofthe boot-sole than the outer edge, and as persons differ as to the bestposition of theskate 011 the foot it follows that a clamping device thatdoes not permit of adjustment of the skate-runner laterallyof the footis objectionable. To obviate this objection, while I make thefore-partclamping jaw-levers I and I of the same general form and ofequal lengths, form therein the curved slots e and e, and pivot themtogether at their rear ends upon the stud H,-so that they are movedlongitudinally and laterally in a well-known manner, I make the curvedslot 6 in clamp I wider than the slot 6 than the other, and thedifierence between said distances may be increased or diminished at willby adjusting the stud f toward one i or the other end of the slot g. Thestud f is provided with a head to bear upon the upper side of thefoot-plate O, and under said head has a short section f that isrectangular or fiat-sided to prevent said stud turning in the slot 0 andthe remainder of its shank is screw-threaded and has fitted thereto thenut h, having a cylindrical section it to enter the slot e in theclamp-lever I and bear upon the foot-plate C, so as to clamp said platebetween said nut and the head of the stud f without clamping thejaw-lever I, the slot 6 being made wider than the slot g and thecylindrical portion h of the nut h being made of a length slightlygreater than the thickness of the jawlever I, as shown. By thisconstruction and application of the guiding-stud for engaging thecam-slot in one of the fore-part-clamping jaw-levers the clamping end ofsaid jaw-lever may be readily adjusted so as to bring the skate-runnerto the desired position under the wearers foot when the skate is securedthereto.

To insure the stud H moving lengthwise of the skate in the plane of thelongitudinal center line of the skate-runner, I form a curved slot '6 inthe jaw-lever 1 near its rear end, through which passes the shank of theheaded stud j, which is set in a fixed position in the foot-plate O, asshown.

Both studs f and f may be adjustably secured to the foot-plate, but,when properly adjusted, be clamped thereto in fixed positions, but atdifferent distances from the skate-runner, so that when said jaw-leversare moved longitudinally and laterally in unison to clamp the skate tothe boot the skaterunner will be located nearer the inner edge of theboot-sole than the outer edge.

The operation of my invention will be readily understood from theforegoing without further explanation here.

What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent of theUnited States, is

'1. In a skate, the combination with aforepart foot-plate secured to theskate-runner, of a pair of laterally and longitudinally movablefore-part-clampin g jaw-levers pivoted together at their rear ends, andeach provided with a cam-slot near its forward end; a guiding-studpassing through the cam-slot'in one of said jaw-levers and firmlyclamped to said foot-plate; and a guiding-stud passing through thecam-slot in the other jaw-lever, and adj ustably clamped directly tosaid footplate at a greater or less distance from the skate-runner.

2. In a skate, the combination of a pair of laterally and longitudinallymovable forepart-clamping jaw-levers pivoted together at their rearends, and each provided with a camslot near its forward end; a fore-partfootplate secured to the skate-runner and provided with a slot directlyabove, and extending transversely of the cam-slot in one of saidclamping jaw-levers; and a guiding-stud extending through the slot insaid foot-plate and the slot in said jaw-lever and firmly clampeddirectly to said foot-plate, normally in a fixed position, butadjustable in the slot in said foot-plate, to a greater or less distancefrom the skate-runner.

3. In a skate the combination of the forepart foot-plate O secured tothe skate-runner A and provided with the slot g; the fore-part clampingjaw-levers I and I pivoted together at their rear ends and provided withthe camslots 6 and 6 respectively and the lever I with the slot 2'; thestuds f andj set in fixed positions in said foot-plate and engaging theslots 6 and e respectively; and the stud f adj ustably secured in theslot g in the foot-plate and projecting through the slot e in theclamping-lever I.

4:. In a skate the combination of the forepart foot-plate 0 providedwith the slot g; the longitudinally and laterally movable clampingjaw-lever I, provided near its forward end with the slot 6; the headedstud or bolt f provided with the flat-sided section f to enter the slotg; the nut h provided with the cylindrical section h to enter the slot6, and bear upon the foot-plate C on each side of the slot g, wherebysaid stud f may be adjusted to any desired position in said slot 9 andbe firmly clamped to said foot-plate in said adj usted position.

5. In a skate the combination of a forepart foot-plate provided with 'aslot near one edge thereof; a pair of longitudinally and laterallymovable fore-part-clamping jawlevers each provided with a cam-slot nearits.

forward end, and pivoted together at their rear ends; a guiding-studfirmly secured to said foot-plate in a fixed position and engag-- ingthe slot in one of said jaw-levers; and a second guiding-stud adjustablyclamped to said foot-plate within the slot formed therein and engagingthe slot in the other jaw-lever; and means for moving said jaw-lever inthe direction of the length of the skate.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification, in thepresence of two subscribing witnesses, on this 22d day of January, A. D.1897.

GEORGE W. PROUTY.

Witnesses:

N. G. LOMBARD, D. B. BEARD.

